White House Launches 'Trump TV' Amid Press Ban and Boycott

The White House has launched a new 24/7 video feed, dubbed “Trump TV,” featuring past moments, announcements, and recent achievements from the administration. The YouTube-hosted stream went live at 7 p.m. ET, with its initial programming including a rerun of President Trump’s July 3 speech at Mount Rushmore. The White House stated the feed aims to provide an unfiltered collection of the administration’s “greatest hits,” with a social media post adding, “Not every big moment has made it on your tv, now it can.”

Kaelan Dorr, deputy assistant to the President and head of digital strategy, posted on social media that “Trump TV” would showcase the administration's accomplishments “unfiltered.” Dorr contended that the press, in some instances, had reported inaccurately or not at all on the administration’s record-breaking achievements.

This rollout coincides with a significant rift between the White House and several major news organizations. CNN was scheduled to provide pool coverage of a White House event on Monday, but it was among three outlets—along with MS NOW and Politico—banned from the White House on Friday due to their negative coverage of the President. In response to the ban, ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, and NBC jointly suspended their television pool coverage of presidential events, stating, “No Administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting.” These outlets have since sued the administration on free speech grounds.

Critics have labeled the 24/7 feed as “state-run” media, drawing parallels to tactics used by U.S. adversaries. California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized the initiative on social media, stating, “First, Trump banned independent news from the White House. Now, he’s launching what is quite literally state-run TV to try drowning out the fact that he and his corrupt administration are failing the American people. This is truly autocratic behavior from a failed President.”

U.S. Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona also denounced the administration’s actions, posting, “State run media, state owned enterprises, prosecuting political opponents, gifts from foreign countries, selling pardons, massive amounts of money flowing into the President’s bank account, and banners with his head plastered on government buildings. NONE OF THIS IS NORMAL.”

Stephanie Grisham, Trump’s former White House Press Secretary, suggested on social media that “Trump TV” resembles the media strategies of countries like Russia, China, and Iran. Before the feed's launch, former White House Correspondents’ Association President Weijia Jiang expressed concerns about increasing government attempts to shape news coverage, warning on Fox News Sunday, “America cannot have state TV. That’s what makes America America… You need independent actors to be able to be the observers. And if the government is only showing you what it wants, then you have to question: What are we missing?”